The Red-tailed Hawks started a bit slowly, but took command by halftime and pulled away to an easy season-opening win.

"We started off a little rusty," said Tam coach Michael Coffino. "We were down 10-4 early, but we took the lead at the end of the first quarter and didn't look back."

Tam's balanced scoring was led by Joe Laland with 15 points, but three other players reached double figures in scoring including Jackson Floum with 13, Brendan Austin with 11 and Darien Miller-Gowan with 10.

"Our defense was totally locked in," said Coffino. "We out-rebounded them 40-17 and used good decision making for our shots. It was a strong outing for a first game."

San Rafael 59, Ygnacio Valley 47

Liam Maley scored three of his game-high 21 points on a shot from beyond half-court at the halftime buzzer to cap a 7-0 run and the Bulldogs (1-0) turned back visiting Ygnacio Valley.

San Rafael coach Tony Butler said his team did a good job of denying the Warriors points in the paint.

"They were bigger than us and we did a good job of protecting the paint," Butler said. "We were trying to force them to beat us from the perimeter."

Maley made eight field goals including two 3-point shots to lead all scorers and added six rebounds. Sho Branch added 14 points for the Bulldogs and teammate Andrew Szot chipped in nine.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Las Lomas 37, San Rafael 33

Kendall Clark and Chloe Lannes led the way with eight points apiece, but the Bulldogs were unable to dig themselves out of a 15-8 first-quarter hole.

"We were down 13 at one point and cut it down to three with a minute left," San Rafael coach Pierre Thermador said. "With a group of young freshmen, I was really proud of their effort."

Selena Rocha added six points and seven rebounds for San Rafael (1-1). Emma Martinez and Lici Sanchez each had nine rebounds against the Knights (1-0).

Washington (S.F) 50, Redwood 30

The Giants managed just nine points in the first half, all of which came in the second quarter, dropping its season opener to Washington (1-0).

Rachel Heller led Redwood (0-1) with 13 points to go with five rebounds and two steals. Bengu Atik had five points, four rebounds and three steals. Lauren Hutchinson had four points, three rebounds and one steal.

"It was our first game and the girls were nervous," Redwood coach Diane Peterson said. "We played hard the whole time. ... It was just a matter of taking care of the ball. The turnovers killed us in the first half. The second half was much better."

San Marin 53, Ukiah 45

UKIAH — Kaleah Williams led the Mustangs to a season-opening road win against Ukiah, scoring a game-high 17 points.

"It was a great way to start the season," coach San Marin Dan Lucia said. "We played with a lot of passion, excitement."

San Marin jumped to an early lead and held a 10-point advantage over Ukiah at the end of the first quarter.

"I was really excited with the way they came out," Lucia said. "We kind of blew it open in the first quarter. Ukiah came back in the second and third and we held our own in the fourth."

There were "a few letdowns defensively," Lucia said, but pointed out that his team is young and needs experience.

"Good round one," he said.

Novato 50, Sonoma Valley 33

After a close first quarter, the Hornets relied on stingy defense to turn back the visiting Dragons.

"Our team defense was tough in the second half," said Novato coach Pete Knight. "And that's what we preach in practice. Our defense only allowed one offensive rebound."

On the other end of the floor, Novato (1-1) was led by sophomore Janea Early, who knocked down six field goals and a free throw for 13 points. Teammate Maddie Tomsky added 12 points and collected a game-high 14 rebounds to give her 31 rebounds in two games.

Football

Ferndale 53, St. Vincent 14

ARCATA — The third-seeded St. Vincent High football team's run ended with a loss to top-seeded Ferndale (12-1) in the North Coast Section Division V championship game at Humboldt State.

Gio Gonzalez led the Novato contingent with six tackles (one for loss). Jason Pech had four tackles and Nick Braun, Alexander Jacamo and Aidan Lynch each had a tackle for the Mustangs (10-3).

Coaching positions

 Branson School is seeking a head softball coach for the spring 2013 season. Candidates must possess at least three years of softball coaching experience. Interested candidates should send a resume to athletic director, Anthony Thomas at anthony_thomas@branson.org.

 Drake High has an open coaching position for a JV baseball coach. For information, call athletic director Pete Donoff at 458-3445 or email pdonoff@tamdistrict.org.

 San Marin High is looking for a varsity boys tennis coach. All interested applicants can contact San Marin athletic director Craig Pitti at 898-2121 or cpitti@nusd.org.

 San Rafael High is looking for a JV baseball coach. For more information contact San Rafael athletic director Tony Butler at 485-2348.